"The last gleam" sunset on Pelican Lake, 1921
Pelican’s story
Pelican in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1921 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
Explore the history →PelicanWI
A town of 2,840. 42% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Population
2,840
2025 Census estimate · +1.5% since 2020
Median home value
$217K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
55.0
years
Jobs based here
689
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#255 of 357 in WI
Is Pelican a good place to live?
Pelican gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $217K, 3.1 years of the county’s $69K median household income. It grades B− overall, 255th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. Pelican’s median age is 55 years, above both Wisconsin’s towns (42.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Pelican is home to Nicolet Area Technical College.
StrongestA−Cost of living
What makes Pelican stand out
Where Pelican beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Pelican5.5
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeB+
42% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
The college
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Nicolet Area Technical College | 613 |
A college in town
613 college students
at Nicolet Area Technical College
Students are 3% of residents.
College town
Nicolet Area Technical College calls Pelican home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How Pelican grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Pelican is from typical.
Cost of livingA−Open →SchoolsC+Open →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthAspirus Rhinelander Hospital 4.5 miles awayB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.1 of 20; 1.3% of households have no car; 1.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landC+Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life5.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 78° summer afternoons, 82″ of snow–Open →Who lives here20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pelican: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pelican, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Public Service17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRhinelander Water & Wastewater1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pelican’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Pelican ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP code5450154501 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pelican.
Pelican is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Pelican has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Pelican for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Pelican is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Pelican grew to 689 in 2023, 130 more than in 2013.
5%work in town
| Pelican | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Pelican5%
Rhinelander37%
Crescent3%
Wausau2%
Green Bay2%
14 mi
median commute distance
689
jobs based in Pelican
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
Pelican’s public schools trail 62% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Rhinelander School District. Its one school is below.
38%of WI districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 263 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
OutdoorsC+
0.1% of Pelican is conserved land
13 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom, at 257 acres with 5.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
#214for trails in WI
| Pelican | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
0.1%
conserved · 43 of 34,213 acres
13 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom | 5.1 mi | 257 |
| 2. Almon County Park | 0.3 mi | 132 |
| 3. Holmboe Conifer Forest State Natural Area | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Pelican
The Rhinelander Wjfw Tv-12 weather station records that 82 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.8°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 3.4°.
Pelican has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Pelican’s January low is 3°F.
82″snow a winter
| Pelican | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–25°
Spring28–52°
Summer52–76°
Fall34–53°
Sep 18
typical first frost
Jun 3
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Pelican
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
Pelican is less healthy than 54% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,462 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pelican’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Pelican beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Pelican.
46%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Pelican | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better23 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Pelican | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.5% |
Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital
4.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
21st
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pelican
17pages on Pelican
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pelican
About 3 of every 100 Pelican residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Pelican for work
Where Pelican’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
689jobs based in Pelican
5%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Pelican
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Pelican is a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,809 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Malvern is located in the town. The town took its name from Pelican Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 54 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,575 ft
Pelican’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Pelican.
RhinelanderStellaEnterpriseCrescentMonicoPine LakePelican
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican | #255 | B− | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Rhinelander | #226 | B | A− | B− | C+ | C |
| Stella | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Enterprise | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Crescent | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Monico | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Lake | #284 | C+ | B | — | C+ | B− |
Crescent has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Pelican, Crescent and Pine Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Stella, Enterprise and Monico aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pelican with a neighbor →
Questions about Pelican
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pelican, WI a good place to live?
Pelican grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #255 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools.
Is Pelican, WI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.